Pakistan among four countries that accounted for almost half of 2023 maternal deaths— UN report

ISLAMABAD: Daesh has claimed a bomb explosion targeting police in Pakistan’s turbulent southwest that killed three policemen and wounded more than a dozen.
A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle on Tuesday targeted a passing bus carrying 40 policemen in Mastung city of impoverished Balochistan province, where security forces have been battling sectarian, ethnic and separatist violence for decades.
In a statement late Tuesday, Daesh’s regional Khorasan chapter, which often carries out attacks on security forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan, claimed its “soldiers” targeted the “apostate” police.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, with Islamabad accusing its western neighbor of allowing its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan — a claim the Taliban denies.
In Balochistan, separatist violence has intensified, including an attack last month by ethnic Baloch militants on a train carrying 450 passengers, which sparked a two-day siege and left dozens dead.
Daesh is also active.
The group has claimed responsibility for attacks on religious minorities, targeted killings of religious scholars, and assaults on security officials.
In July 2023, the group claimed a suicide bombing at a political party gathering that killed more than 54 people, including 23 children.
More than 200 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks since the start of the year by armed groups fighting the government in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday called for enhanced regional coordination to combat drug trafficking, saying his country was ready to expand counter-narcotics cooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states through intelligence sharing, joint training and technical collaboration.
Naqvi issued the statement while speaking at the Pak-GCC Regional Narcotics Conference, organized by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in Islamabad, where delegates from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait gathered to develop a joint strategy against narcotics trafficking and abuse.
“The Government of Pakistan stands ready to deepen its cooperation with the GCC states in every area of counter-narcotics,” Naqvi said. “We seek to strengthen mechanisms for intelligence sharing, joint training, real-time coordination and forensic and technological collaboration.”
Naqvi stressed that the success of anti-drug efforts depended on collective commitment and sustained collaboration among regional partners.
He said the presence of GCC delegates at the conference demonstrated their shared resolve to combat drug trafficking and abuse.
“Your presence here reflects our collective resolve to strengthen cooperation, share intelligence and forge actionable strategies to combat drug trafficking and abuse,” he said.
He emphasized that Pakistan and its regional partners must act decisively to address the evolving challenges posed by narcotics.
“Today, our regional friends have come together with a sense of urgency and responsibility, as the global drug problem continues to evolve in scale, complexity and impact,” he said.
“I am confident that through joint action and sustained partnership, we can reverse this growing threat and protect future generations,” he added.
Naqvi said Pakistan and GCC states shared deep historical, religious and cultural ties, making it all the more important to work together for a region “safer, healthier and free from the destructive influence of narcotics.”